Love Must Bind
by Sesshoumaru0086
Summary: ROLEPLAY FIC: Grell is a 'trust aunt' to Michael Spears, son of William T. and his wife Jelena Spears. A horrid tragedy strikes the calm of this family made of friends at the dispatch. Could they ever recover? And if they did, will it be like they were before?
1. Chapter 1: A Night With Aunty Grell

_**A/N: This is a roleplay thread I had with williamtshakespears (dot tumblr dot com)and it had turned into this AMAZING story that went on for over a year! So you'll notice very distinct POV changes, which means that was us writing the replies as role play. Ah and I'm grell-candyapple-sutcliff (dot tumblr dot com)!**_

 **_Chapter One: A night with Aunty Grell!_**

Jelena walked through the Dispatch halls towards her red sister's office, Michael on her hip and his bag on her shoulder. William surprised her with a nightly get-away together, and Michael would be spending the night at his own get-away with his aunt. Coming up to her door, she knocked. "Grell-chan! I've got a giggly little boy here for you!"

Michael giggled happily. "Aunt Gwell!"

* * *

Grell groaned a bit as she discovered her coffee cup was empty. She looked at the clock and realized it was almost time for her to clock out so getting another cup could wait until she got home.

When she thought of her plans after work, she smiled. Her sister was going on a one-nighter with her hubby, leaving a very bubbly baby boy to keep the crimson reaper company tonight. She'd even prepared her house to accommodate the little tot.

In her bag was some new drawing and coloring books she got up early to get for him before work. It'd been a while and Aunty Grell needed to spoil her Little Mikey! She even figured before long, she'll be buying him professional art supplies and things she couldn't even pronounce correctly for his artistic pursuits!

A knock at the door jarred her from her thoughts. The familiar voices that sounded hiked up her excitement and grabbed her bag quickly ready to leave with her precious little prince. "Here to see me?! Oh I am SOOOOO honored!" Grell dramatically exclaimed as her door opened for them. She loved putting on her little acts; they always made Mikey giggle. And Grell loves hearing his precious laugh!

"Oooohhh my darling prince has come back! It's been to long! You shouldn't leave your Aunty Grell alone for so long like that! She gets lonely!" She said immediately scooping up the giggly baby and proceeded to tickle and cuddle him like she usually does when she greets him.

"So where are you and your love pigeon headed off to?" She asked as she was handed Mikey's bag. "An escapade in Paris? Dining in Napoli? A romantic stroll through Madrid?" she playfully asked as she kissed the little one on his temple.

* * *

Jelena blinked as she suddenly found herself missing one toddler, but smiled at the display in front of her. Michael giggled and laughed, hugging his aunt with his little arms. He nuzzled his face in her neck. "I missed you, Aunt Gwell!" He had missed his aunt quite a bit. He loved his parents, of course! He just wished he could spend equal time with the very red woman who loved him just as much as his parents did. Michael returned her kiss with one of his own to her cheek, pulling some of her long hair over his head and giggling.

The librarian smiled. "No, no. Just a night out in London, Grell-chan. Michael's been very excited for his sleepover with Aunt Grell. Thank you for watching him tonight."

"Ooohh I should be thanking YOU dear!" Grell cuddled her precious more as he gave her a kiss of his own. "I really have been vegging out at home lately. I need someone to keep me on my toes! Being a couch potato isn't good for the waist, you know!" She was kinda amazed. Mikey was a little bigger than she remembered.

"Ooo speaking of weight, have you been growing little one?" she asked the giggly tot in her arms. "You're not supposed to grow! No no! You're supposed to be my little baby forever and ever!" she cooed as she playfully nuzzled him.

"Well I shouldn't keep you tied up any longer! Hurry and meet your partner in crime! You know how that man is about time. He got after me this morning for being 30 seconds late. 30 seconds!" Grell pouted. "Ahh, anyway hurry along dear! Mikey and I have a little date of our own! Isn't that right, my little prince?"

"I'm always yew li'l baby Mikey, Aunt Gwell! And when I'm big, I'll be yew big baby Mikey!" Jelena giggled at this.

Michael wasn't the only one amused by Grell's antics. Jelena always found the redhead to be good for a smile. While perhaps lewd at inopportune times, she'd never want Grell to change for anything. And she didn't mind being a bit of relief for her against William. She sighed. "Thirty seconds? I'll have to talk with him about it later. That's just not fair. All right. You two have fun." She gave her son a kiss. "Daddy will pick you up tomorrow Sweetie."

Michael kissed his mother back. "Bye bye Mommy!"

"Have fun Grell-chan!"

* * *

"Oh you don't have to get after him. I suppose he really needed this night out and off with you. Believe it or not, you're doing us all a favor! Just bring him back happy and you'll DEFINITELY make us all happy!" Grell laughed. "Have fun my dear!" she called to Jalena's back as she left.

Grell took off the other way out of the dispatch as her home was on that other end. She loved taking the back way out and getting a chance to stroll through the dispatch gardens before finally heading home.

The red reaper prepped the little stroller she'd brought to walk him home. It was a simple one that faced the front so little Mikey could see out at the garden and everything else for his eyes to explore. "There now! Time to get a little fresh air going home! Would you like to pick some flowers Mikey?" she said strapping him in. The path out of the garden led right to the street going to Grell's house. She loved that she found that little pleasant route home.

* * *

"I'll try my best," Jelena giggled. Ronald had said something similar to her earlier that day. She did agree that her husband needed to loosen up a little.

Michael waved to his mother as she started back fro his father's office for their night together. He didn't exactly understand all the implications of his parents going out without him, but he got to spend time with his aunt, so he didn't mind. He kept playing with Grell's hair as she walked out of Dispatch. It looked like he had his own red locks with the way hers draped over him.

He smiled as she set him in the stroller. Michael wasn't much of a fussy child. "Yeah yeah! Pick pwetty flowehs fow Queen Gwell!" And flowers reminded him of his Uncle Alan. He liked flowers.

* * *

"Ahh! You're so sweet! Well, let's see if we can find any good flowers on the path!" She tickled him once more before she pushed his stroller through the gardens.

"Oooo these are so pretty!" Grell said seeing that the pink rose bush was blooming. The red roses haven't come out yet, and which ever small blooms of the red rose bushes did come out, Grell had already had picked. Something that made her feel a little sheepish when she realized it.

There were yellow roses, white roses, lantanas , white daisies along the floor, Indian blankets , and many many colorful flowers.

She took Michael along the path to see which ones he could pick. Of course the rarer flowers should be left alone and would help Michael if he wanted to pick some roses as far as taking the thorns off. Grell's picked so many roses, she could take the thorns out very quickly and skillfully with her bare hands.

"Do you see any flowers you want to pick, Mikey?" she said strolling him along allowing him to look around. "They're in the trees, on the ground, in the bushes, there's so many this time of year!"

* * *

"Pwetty flowehs!" Michael reached out to all the blooms he could, just wanting to feel the petals on his little fingers. He didn't want to pick any just yet. They were all beautiful, but none of them were… right. If he was going to get some pretty flowers for his beloved Aunt Grell, they needed to be right.

Michael then spotted some lovely red snapdragons dancing in the smallest breeze of the day. His little eyes grew wide in amazement. "Aunt Gwell! Aunt Gwell! Look at the pwetty flowehs!" He pointed excitedly to the snapdragons. "Can I have some? Please! Please, please!" They looked so lovely and were a shade to match his aunt's hair. He loved them immediately.


	2. Chapter 2: Garden Of Dreams

**Chapter Two: Garden of Dreams**

Grell followed the young one's little hand to the red flowers. "Ah! They bloomed finally! Your aunty has been waiting on those too!" she said as she took him out of the stroller and helped him pluck a couple. "There's not too many of them, so we should leave some here in the garden, little one," she said. Of course she was one to talk, plucking all the red rose blooms until there were only buds left to open.

"Any others you want to pick? I'm going to put them in a pretty vase so we can look at them while we're having fun drawing and playing!" she said excitedly. Grell plucked some flowers of her own to complement the ones Michael chose.

* * *

He took the snapdragons in his hands, watching them in awe as though they were suddenly talking to him. They were very lovely. When his aunt asked if he wanted anymore, he finally looked away from the flowers and looked for some other ones.

A little ways away, Michael spotted little flowers kind of like the snapdragons. Lovely little lavenders. The toddler loved purple. He didn't know why, he just did. He leaned towards those. "Can we get those Aunt Gwell?"

* * *

"Of course dear! As long as we leave some for the garden to look pretty!" She smiled, bringing him to the lavenders. "My! I think Aunty knows your favorite color!" she giggled.

"Aunty's color has always been red. It just seemed silly to hate a color that was so bright that was part of me," she said, twirling a couple of her crimson tendrils in her fingers.

Grell chose some white daisies to complement the flower arrangements her and her little date made. "Well Mikey, Aunty Grell has some cookies she baked for her prince's visit! And we have lovely flowers to keep us company while we have fun!" she said scooping him up and placing him back in the the stroller. "Now hold on tight to those. Aunty has the perfect vase for them!"

* * *

Michael giggled, smelling the lavender flowers. "I like pohple! It's pwetty!" He smiled, showing off his little teeth. "Yew ha-ew pwetty Aunt Gwell! Pwetty wed!" He held the little bouquet close to him as she set him in the stroller. The flowers smelled so lovely, as lovely as they looked! Maybe he could get some flowers for his parents when his daddy came to get him. His parents would like them! He'd do that.

He brightened even more at the mention of cookies. "Yummy! I can have mow than one?" he asked, looking up at his aunt with a hopeful gleam in his eyes. His sweet tooth he got from his mother gave his father a bit of grief sometimes, but the redhead wouldn't mind him having just a few cookies, right?

Grell smiled gently. "Aunty also loves colors that go with red, like emerald green, black, white, and gold! And Aunty is now going to love purple because her little prince loves purple!" She smiled at him as they strolled down the sidewalk to her home.

* * *

They finally got in, and she took him from the stroller. "Here we are Mikey! Queen Grell's castle! All set up for the prince to visit!" she beamed in her usual drama actress way. "Now, would his majesty, the Prince, like to help the Queen choose a vase for our flowers?" she said, bringing him to the china cabinet. She had several vases of all shapes and colors that looked like they haven't been used in quite a while.

"Aunt Gwell's not Aunt Gwell without wed!" He smiled and giggled. Those colors were nice too. He liked all the colors on the spectrum, but red and purple held some preference in his heart. The child smiled happily. "Pohple pwetty too! Pwetty pohple, wed flowehs!" Purple and red seemed to look really nice together as far as flowers were concerned.

Michael held tight to the flowers as she carried him inside to her place. He giggled, "Queen Gwell! Big castle." Though everything was big to him at the time. Her theatrics earned more giggles and a bright smile. His eyes got big at the vases in the china cabinet. How had he missed these before? He spotted a vase with swirling red and gold designs. "Ooh, that one! That one!"

* * *

Grell felt like it had been ages since she'd opened this cabinet. She could only hope that a flood of dust bunnies didn't attack them as soon as she opened it. "Ooohhh my darling, that's a lovely choice! You have one fashionable eye my prince! You're gonna make all of Aunty's clothes when you get bigger, right?" the red reaper gushed. She opened the cabinet and immediately sneezed.

"Oh pardon me! We should pick flowers together more often so all these vases get used! " Grell said, looking for any excuse to take him home with her again. She took the vase and brought it to the kitchen, still holding Michael in her arms. She opened the tap water and filled it half way. Grell then set Mikey on the counter near the sink. "Okay my prince! Let's put them in one by one! Like a puzzle!" Grell beamed as she placed the first red flower in the vase with a second one to show him how to pile on and arrange the flowers. "There, see? Now you put one in! Then I'll put one in until they are allllll in!" she cooed at him.

* * *

Michael smiled proudly from the praise of his selection of vase. It was really pretty, and suited his aunt well. "I'm gonna help Aunt Gwell anyway I can! Make Aunt Gwell happy!" He giggled, "Bless you!" He nodded excitedly. "Yeah yeah! Mow flowehs with Aunt Gwell! Some foh Uncle Alan too! And Mommy!" Michael sat happily on the counter, watching in excitement as the redhead started placing the flowers. He put one of his lavenders in, then one of the snapdragons. "Like this Aunt Gwell?"

"Yes, yes my prince!" she said, fitting another flower with his. "You want to pick flowers for Uncle Alan, too? What color do you think Uncle Alan would like?" she asked, enjoying their first activity of the night.

"Uncle Alan likes white flowehs! Likes his Uncle Ewic flowehs!" He was referring to the Erica flowers. But Uncle Eric flowers sounded cuter. Michael just didn't know that.

* * *

Grell couldn't help but squee at the tiny tot on her counter when he said 'Uncle Eric Flowers'. She knew what he really meant, but it was just too adorable to correct him. The red reaper might even share this little story with Alan himself just to see how red his face would get! "Ooh we should look for Uncle Eric flowers the next time we go to the garden! Uncle Alan spends a lot of time in that garden so hopefully he doesn't pick them all before we get a chance to give him some!"

Before long, every flower was in place, and the bouquet was ready to be admired. "Now look at that my sweet prince! A bouquet fit for the evening!" She beamed, taking him from the counter. She took both the vase and the giggly little boy and set them at the little coffee table, which is always conveniently transformed to a play table when her nephew graced her with his presence. She even bought him a little chair so he didn't have to sit or kneel on the floor so much. "Now you wait there my prince! I'll go get our cookies!" she said, laying out his new coloring book and crayons.

Not too long after, Grell came back with a serving tray full of cookies and milk. Of course Grell's milk was in a glass and Mikey's in a sippy cup. She even chose the one with little flowers on it! "Who wants cookies?"

* * *

The child smiled happily, showing off his little teeth. "Give Uncle Alan lots and lots of Uncle Ewic flowehs! Make him happy!" He liked flowers a lot, but his interest in them stemmed from his uncle. Alan knew so much about flowers, and Michael hoped to one day know as much as he did.

"Pwetty flowehs!" he agreed. "Pwetty flowehs fow Queen Gwell's castle!" He giggled as she picked him up, hugging her until she set him down in his little chair at the coffee table. "Yay! Cookies!" He bounced excitedly in his seat until she returned with the cookies. Sweets of any kind made him excited really. The drawing supplies on the table caught his attention though, and he started coloring. Drawing was nice, but sometimes it was fun to just pick out the colors.

"Ooh, I want some! Please!" he added quickly.


	3. Chapter 3: Red Mama

**Chapter Three: Red Mama**

Grell set the tray down and sat on the couch opposite of him. "Today's special is choco-chocolate chip with a glass of finest dairy!" Grell said extravagantly, letting a little of her 'butler' show. The cookies were big and looked like he would need both his little hands to hold. "Mm, I love big cookies! I hope my prince likes them too. Did you know that Aunty Grell once had a cookie as big her face?" She chatted with him, hoping to amaze him with a little story.

"She had to break it in pieces just so she could eat it! It was a gift from your Uncle Ronald because he knows how much I love peanut butter cookies," she giggled, biting into her cookie. "But Momma told me my little prince has taken a liking to chocolate! So Aunty made him chocolate cookies with chocolate chips with plenty of creamy milk!"

* * *

"Oooh," the toddler cooed at the yummy-looking cookies. His eyes widened at the mention of the big cookie. As big as her face?! How did she ever finish it?! "Did you eveh finish it?"

He took one of the cookies in his hands. It looked like the cookie his aunt had just described! It was big! But it smelled really good. And he wasn't about to turn down a cookie. He'd have to be ill to do that. "Thank you, Aunt Gwell!" He munched into his cookie.

At the mention of his mother, he remembered something he and his mother had done earlier that day that he had wanted to show Grell. "Aunt Gwell! Aunt Gwell! I made a dwawing today!" He set the cookie down and ran to his bag, pulling a piece of paper out of it. He then ran back to her and held it to her excitedly. It was a picture he had drawn of his whole family. Even his daddy's birds were there! Though Jelena had wanted him to show his aunt something in particular. Every person on the page had their name written in his little writing over their heads. But over Grell's head, wasn't 'Aunt Grell'. In the scribbly red crayon was the title 'Mommy', right alongside his actual mother with the same title.

* * *

Grell blinked, suddenly losing sight of her nephew when he ran to his bag. When he returned with the item he was so eager to show, Grell set down her glass of milk and cleaned her hands with a napkin. "Ooh!" she said excitedly as she took the paper from his little hands.

That's when she saw something rather peculiar. She could identify all the little figures in the picture as members of his family (and it was all so cute), but for some reason, the word 'mommy' was written above the figure that looked like her. The red reaper was puzzled a bit at this. Perhaps he just couldn't spell 'Aunt' or 'Grell'?

She would hope not to confuse him if she asked. But she really couldn't help it. "It's so lovely my sweet prince! Is that one me?" she beamed trying not to look too puzzled so that he didn't think she didn't like it.

* * *

He smiled proudly, hoping she liked it. He worked hard on it, taking almost all afternoon! And his mother had been very happy with it. Michael giggled when she pointed to the drawing of herself. "Yeah! Mommy told me how to spell Aunt Gwell, but yew my mommy too!" He crawled up beside her and gave her a hug. "Yew my wed mommy!"

Grell's heart exploded. Tears stung her eyes, hearing that from him. She pulled him into a bigger hug, "Ooooooooooh my prince! You make Aunty Grell's heart complete! You made me so, so happy! I could di—er, cry happy!" She was concerned that he wouldn't understand the phrase, 'Die happy'.

She attacked his crumb covered cheeks with kisses. He wouldn't understand until he was older how much of a mother Grell herself wanted to be. So hearing this from such an innocent little boy that still had so much to learn not only amazed her, but touched her on so many levels. "You're such a charming prince! I hope Momma doesn't get jealous!" she giggled as she nuzzled him and cuddled him in her lap for a little bit. "And as a present for being so good to your 'Red Mommy'," she actually got pleasant chills as she said it, "how about we get up early in the morning before your daddy comes and I'll take you to the toy store and I can buy you ANY toy you want?"

Grell wanted to offer more cookies to Mikey, but she knew what an over-sweetened tummy felt like.

* * *

Michael giggled and hugged her back. He was so happy she liked it. It wouldn't be until years later that he would understand the implication of his words, or the true impact they had on the redhead, but he was just happy with his red mommy's reaction that he didn't much care about anything else at the moment.

"Mommy told me to show you! She said you'd weally like it!" Having seen the title her son had given Grell, Jelena's own heart melted. She knew her sister had to see it, and there was no way she was going to deprive her son of two mommies. Even if William might not be too sure about it when he learned of this new development.

A toy just for being nice? He already had so many toys! But it was still rude to say no. "Can I get a book Mommy?"

Grell's heart leaped at him actually calling her Mommy. "Oh of course! How about I take you to the bookstore instead?"

"You know, I do wonder how your father would feel at you calling me 'mommy'," she giggled. "Did your daddy like the picture?"

* * *

"Yay!" He loved it when people read to him. He shook his head. "Daddy hasn't seen it yet. He was busy. … Daddy's busy a lot…" Michael saddened at the thought. He loved spending time with his mother and aunt and uncles, but he wanted to spend time with his father too. "How come Daddy's so busy?"

* * *

Grells heart sobered up a little after hearing the tiny tot ask him something that's striking through the poor thing's heart. She hugged him gently before answering, "Oh my dear sweet little one. We just don't have as many people to help us with our work. And we all have to work a lot to keep up. Even your Aunty Grell works a lot! And so do all your uncles. Uncle Alan, Uncle Eric, and Uncle Ronald too. We're all working so much to help your daddy, but it's not enough sometimes."

She cuddled the little one again then settled him in his chair. "Well I have the urge to finish these cookies and then draw! How about you, my prince?" she perked up. She knew his father working so much got in the way of quality time with him. And unfortunately, tonight she learned it was beginning to hurt Michael a little. It reminded her of her own father being out her life much for the same reason.

It wasn't until she was older when she learned that her father went out of his way to be with her, even when he was so tired he couldn't walk. She was sure William did his best, but now that Grell was his 'red mommy', she would do _her_ best to help Mikey understand that. And not hold hard feelings towards his father because of it.

* * *

Michael was still too young to understand the importance and severity of the work his family did when he wasn't around. All he knew was that they worked on something, something that had his father coming home late some nights. Sometimes he didn't get home until Michael had gone to bed, despite attempts to stay awake just long enough to see him.

But then there were days when he got to see William all day! Even if they didn't play all the time, William would take his son to his office on days he knew he didn't need to go out to the field, and that was enough for the toddler. And sometimes his mother would take him to see his daddy during lunch, or William would surprise him and come home early. He may not have gotten to spend as much time with his father as he did his mother, but he knew his father loved him. And that made everything okay.

He hugged his red mommy back with a big smile. "Okay! Mow cookies!" And how could he turn down cookies?

* * *

"I still have some of that big peanut butter cookie your Uncle Ronald gave me that you can try too! But I really don't want your poor tummy to hurt. So I'll give you a small piece!" she said, trying to make it sound like it was a better idea. "A lot of sugar in your little tummy makes it hurt, and you get sick. And Aunty…er…" she paused.

Michael now wanted to refer to her as 'red mommy' or just another 'mommy'. Perhaps a new title was necessary? "Mommy Grell doesn't want you to feel bad or get sick. I have some dinner in a crock pot anyway! You need to save room for some roast beef! And you need some veggies, but you need to tell Mommy Grell what veggies her prince likes! I have peas, carrots, potatoes, green beans, pinto beans…" she listed through the fiber she had stored away to help them digest the sweet treats they indulged in. "You need to have a veggie, so take your pick, and I'll make it my little one," she said with a smile.

He made a face at the mention of peas. He didn't like their smell, their texture, or their taste. Peas were just awful all around. But carrots and potatoes and green beans sounded good. He wondered briefly what pinto beans were, but he kinda wanted green beans. "Geen beans! Peas aw gwoss!" He was quite thoroughly convinced that he would never like peas, and he was okay with that. "Oh, geen beans _please_ Mommy."


	4. Chapter 4: Nursery Rhymes

**Chapter Four: Nursery Rhymes**

Grell laughed at his little distaste for peas. She really couldn't remember what it was he hated, so she listed them to make sure. Grell loved fruits and veggies a lot and there was rarely one she didn't like. But of course, it takes an adult to gain a real palate for them.

"Okay! Green beans it is!" she said, rooting around her coffee table for her egg timer that was set to check the roast. "I need to set this for 10 minutes before the roast is done, that way Mommy Grell can go cook them at the right time! And right now we have about 2 hours to play before dinner is done! Let's draw!" she exclaimed, taking out one of the many books she'd bought for him. Of course they'd be munching on their cookies as they did so, so she made sure they had plenty of cold milk to go with them.

Grell already had an image in mind; she wanted to do something cute…and chibi! She'd drawn her nephew so many times it hurt. So she wondered if he would recognize if she drew a chibi William!

* * *

Michael wasn't sure what was so funny about peas. Peas were no laughing matter! They were no joyful matter whatsoever. Peas were 'gwoss'. But he was happy that his red mommy wasn't going to make any since he didn't like it. He didn't exactly understand time yet. He was just starting to learn to read a clock. But with cookies and drawing, there wasn't much more he needed for two hours or ten hours or two minutes.

"Okay! Gonna dwaw Mommies and Daddy!" Michael picked out some crayons and started drawing, munching on his cookie with one and alternating with drinking his milk. You couldn't have cookies without milk!

Grell finished her little drawing of SD William. She couldn't wait to show Mikey. Black and white were of course the only colors she used so she hoped it didn't give it away too quickly.

* * *

"Look, look my prince! Who is this?" the red reaper giggled. She thought she would draw SD Ronald if he got it too quickly.

He looked up from his own drawing to Grell's, blinking a second before smiling wide. "Daddy!" he giggled. His daddy looked so cute! "You should show Daddy that one, Mommy!" Jelena would certainly get a kick out of it.

* * *

"Hmmm, if I showed it to him, I would have to stay home for a while!" Grell laughed. She knew she'd definitely face a suspension after showing such a crude drawing to a boss whose sense of humor was a mystery.

Grell then set to work on her next SD figure. Her SD of Ronald looked so much like an onion head. "Hmmm I don't know about this one, my prince. What do you think?" she asked, showing him her picture.

* * *

Michael didn't get it. He thought his daddy was funny. Though he didn't really know that William acted differently in front of his family than he did with his co-workers.

He looked at her other drawing, his head tilting to the side curiously. "Who's that Mommy?" It looked familiar, but he couldn't really place it.

* * *

Grell found her opportunity to have a little fun. "Well, he may be the funniest uncle you have! He loves to make you laugh! He likes to give you little lollipops when your mommy and daddy aren't around… and when he sees you, he yells, 'Hey look! It's my future wing man!'" she giggled. The way Ronald treated little Mikey surprised her. She never would've thought that he'd be so good with children. Of course the little pet names the younger reaper used set William off a bit. At least from what Grell had seen.

The clues helped clarify the identity of the drawing. Michael giggled and bounced in his seat. "Uncle Wonnie! It's Uncle Wonnie!" Ronald's skills with children also surprised his senior. William never really thought of how his co-workers would be around children. Then again, he never really thought about himself having a child. Alan being good with Michael wasn't that surprising. Eric being good with him was only slightly surprising.

* * *

"Yes dear! Yes!" She kinda bounced with him. She was having so much fun. It really had been far too long since she had a night like this with Mikey.

A slight thought had come to mind. She realized just how much she loved nights like this compared to the nights she thought she loved. Nights out drinking with coworkers or girls' dates to the salon and spa could never ever top being here with her nephew. The crimson reaper ran her fingers in his hair as she continued to watch him draw.

A ding startled her from her thoughts. "Oh! It's time for me to go cook our green beans! Do you want to stay here and finish your drawings? Or would my prince like to me help finish dinner?" she smiled sweetly. Grell loved showing him how she cooks. It not only gave her a chance to teach him cooking, but safety around the stove and knives, and when to ask an adult for help when he starts wanting to make things for himself. He was a bit young to actually help with the cooking, but there were times when he got amazed watching her make food while he sat in his booster seat at the table.

* * *

"Yay!" He got it right! His Uncle Ronald looked silly like that, but Ronald was a silly person, so it fit pretty well. He didn't know what 'wingman' meant either. He was pretty sure it had something to do with his father's birds…

Michael went back to drawing his mommies and daddy when Grell had gone quiet. He smiled when he felt her hand in his hair. He loved touch: hugs, kisses, holding hands, cuddling. He just loved being close with his family. They made him happier than any toy or book could.

The ding also startled him, but he quickly got over it. At the offer to help, Michael readily accepted. He liked helping! And he liked watching his aunt cook. The kitchen was a nice room that always smelled so good. And that's where the cookies came from! "I wanna help! Can I help please?"

* * *

"Yay!" Grell quipped, getting up. The red reaper then lifted the bubbly babe from his chair. "Okay my prince, let's go make the green beans and check on the roast!" she said, giving him a little tickle before going to the kitchen.

She sat him on the same counter that she did when they made their little bouquet. "Okay now, be still! Aunty…er, Mommy Grell doesn't want you falling off!" She knew the name would take some getting used to. She lay the cutting board down where he was sitting so he could watch her prep the fresh green beans. The crimson one never liked using canned or frozen foods if she could avoid it. Perhaps her short stay with the Phantomhive residence gave her an urge to have finest quality?

"Oh! Let me check the roast real quick," she told, scooting over to the crock pot where the roast beef was slowly cooking. The moment she opened the lid, the room around her filled with a delicious smelling steam. "Ah! See Mikey? If the smoke is white, it's good! It's called steam! But if the smoke is black or gray, it's bad. It means something burned," she informed him, adding a little more spice to the pot. Since he was so familiar with colors, she knew that was an easy way to teach him.

"Alright, that has ten more minutes to go," Grell said, backpedaling toward the ice box for the green beans. "Hmm, don't let Mummy forget that we need to buy some more milk! I'm on my last bottle!"

She then set to work getting the water and blazing it to a boil. "Now while that gets going, here's how we cut fresh green beans!" She removed a bundle from the veggie bag, cutting the green stalks at the ends then in half to fit in the pot. "I bet you've never seen your green beans before they're cooked, am I right my prince?" she smiled at the little one on the counter.

* * *

He giggled from her enthusiasm and tickle. He hugged her as she carried him into the kitchen. Sitting obediently on the counter, Michael hummed a little song as he watched Grell move around the kitchen. "Ooh," he cooed at the newest part of his culinary education. He was good with colors. Colors helped everything. "Mow milk! No milk is bad milk!" The toddler watched her cut up the green beans. It looked easy enough. But the thing she was cutting with looked sharp. Sharp was bad for little Mikeys, so he kept well and clear of it. "Uh uh."

* * *

Grell saw the small fear in the tot when he saw the knife. Which was good in a way. He should never have the curiosity to play with one. She cut the green beans carefully and in a way to teach him that one could use a knife without hurting themselves. The proper way a knife should be used is crucial, though it might be a couple more years before he's able to use one.

"There we are my dear! Cut in small pieces to fit in my little one's mouth!" she said, lightly placing the knife in the sink. "Now for the butter!" She rushed back to the ice box to grab the little stick of butter that sat on a small plate. She grabbed a teaspoon and handed it to Mikey. "Here you go my prince, can you spoon a bit off for Mummy Grell?" she asked, holding the plate to him.

He took the spoon in hand. "Okay Mommy!" The tip of his tongue stuck out the corner of his mouth as he carefully scooped out a small glob from the malleable stick. "Did I do good?" he asked, handing back the spoon, only half filled with butter.

* * *

"You did very good my prince!" she excitedly told him. Grell loved making him feel good when he was learning. She moved over to the pot and dropped the lob of butter in with the boiling green beans along with pinch of salt.

"Okay my dear! We've got about five more minutes for it to simmer," she said, lifting her prince from the counter and placing him on the new high chair she'd gotten him. Grell figured he might be too big for it, but since his booster seat only made the table come up to his nose, she figured it was best. Seemed he was small for his age.

Something Grell loved about him though. She cherished being able to hold and cuddle him while she could. Because when he got older, holding and cuddling might not be so possible. She sighed to herself thinking of this.

* * *

"Yay!" Michael smiled wide, happy he had done well in helping his red mommy cook. Maybe one day he'd be a master in the kitchen. Then he could cook for her in return!

He squirmed a little in the seat. He was pretty small, which he didn't necessarily mind. But he wanted to be big. You got to do more things when you were big! Michael wanted to be big like his daddy. Maybe not Uncle Eric big. Uncle Ronald big at least. He couldn't wait to be big enough to do things. Maybe by then it would be safe enough to use sharp things…

* * *

"Okay, we have five more minutes," she murmured, adjusting her egg timer. "Oh I know! Let's play a game, my prince!" Grell pulled a chair up in front of his high chair.

She put his little hands up, and she did the same. "Okay, ready?"

" _Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker's man!_

 _Bake me a cake as fast as you can;_

 _Pat it and shape it and mark it with "B",_

 _And bake it in the oven for baby and me."_

She laughed as she played this little clapping game with him. "Okay my little prince, you sing it now!" she smiled. "Don't worry, I'll help you if you get stuck!"

* * *

"A game! Play a game!" He held up his little hands at her instruction, giggling. He knew this game! Michael followed her movements with a big, bright smile. When it came time for his turn, he nodded. "Okay!"

" _Patty cake, patty cake, bakew's man!_

 _Bake me a cake as fast… as you can!_

 _Pat it and shake it and mawk it with a 'G'!_

 _And bake it in the oven fow Mommy and me!"_

That was the version he and his mother did, though he changed the 'J' to a 'G'.

* * *

"Ohhhhh! My beautiful baby boy, I love you so much!" she gushed, attacking his cheek and face with kisses. Grell loved his clever switch of the letters and words. Her little one was smart!

There was still a bit left in the timer, so… "Okay okay! How about another one?" Grell pondered for a moment on what other Mother Goose rhymes he would know/love. "Ah! How about…" She paused holding her hands in a familiar form and sang with him.

" _The itsy bitsy spider went up the water spout!_

 _Down came the rain and washed the spider out!_

 _Out came the sun and dried up all the rain!_

 _And the itsy bitsy spider went up the spout again!"_

* * *

He giggled, the kisses tickled. "I love you too Mommy! Love you foheveh and eveh!" He nodded excitedly. "Yeah! Anotheh one! Anotheh game!" Once again, he mimicked her hands, humming along to the familiar nursery rhyme. "Good job spideh!" he called happily, giggling again. "Spideh don't give up!"

* * *

She loved her little man so much. He was so smart and loving. But before she could give him another kiss attack, the egg timer went off. "Dinner's ready! I'm hungry! Are you, my prince?" she asked cutely.

The amount of roast beef she made was enough to feed an army. Of course it wasn't just for her. When she made a big hunk of beef like this, she would take most of it to the office in the form of large sub sandwiches. Uncle Eric and Ronald always seemed to be 'forgetting' their lunches.

There was even a time when Daddy William took over half of the supply that Grell had brought to the office one day. She could only hope that was more for his family and not just for him!

She rushed around the kitchen with her blazing reaper speed to fix their plates. "See Mikey, we're lucky! We get the first pick and it's always the freshest!" she said, giving his plate full of small, easy-to-hold slices of roast beef with his favored boiled green beans and a little baked bun.

Grell's plate was actually the exact same as Mikey's except her portions were bigger. "Mmmm, is it good, my prince?" she said after they had their first few mouthfuls.

* * *

"Hungwy! Mikey hungwy! Have dinnew now Mommy?" He watched her in awe as she moved quickly around the kitchen. Did everyone move that fast? Would he be able to go that fast when he was big? That'd be neat.

He was taught to always eat his vegetables first, so he attacked his green beans first. After blowing on them. He learned from his last mistake of eating too fast, and wound up with a burned tongue. But it was very yummy! "Vewy good. Thank you, Mommy!"


	5. Chapter 5: Gone Too Soon

_**Chapter Five: Gone Too Soon**_

Later that night, Michael was changed into pajamas and tucked in all snuggly beside Grell. They slept deeply and peacefully as the night wore on. Around three in the morning, however, something disturbed the quiet of the night. Knocking could be heard coming from the front door.

When Grell came to check on it, she would find William outside her door. His eyes were bloodshot and puffy. Tear stains marked his face. His hair and suit were a little out of sorts, as though he'd been in a skirmish of some sort. He truly looked like death walking.

"Hello Grell," William whispered, his voice cracking a little. It sounded like his throat was sore. "I'm… I'm not here to take Michael back. I just… I… Can I see him please? Just for a moment, I won't wake him."

G

The red reaper felt like she just fell asleep three seconds ago. "Mmmf…is..that the door?!" she pondered, looking at the clock. 3 AM. She was actually pretty livid about this.

"Who on earth is calling at three in the freakin' morning?" she grumbled, grabbing her robe and rushing to the door so as not to wake Mikey. She even grabbed a baseball bat in case this person wasn't very friendly. "What on Earth do you think you're…" she started, opening the door. Her speech went dead when she saw William looking very out of place.

She could barely hear what his request was, as she was so overwhelmed with the sight of William, so disheveled before her. "My word! What happened to you?" she asked, half-expecting him to ignore the question.

"He's…in my bedroom…" she muttered, leading him in. So many questions weighed on her mind. William was crying, along with being an utter mess. Jelena wasn't with him. Her heart was literally in her throat. Grell's breathing actually became short with worry.

W

William didn't even flinch at her tone, or at the bat. Had he been in his right mind, he might have made a remark about either, or both, but he didn't. Hearing her question, he told, "I'll… tell you in a minute. I… I want to see my son right now." He nodded his thanks as he followed her inside to her bedroom.

He paused in the doorway a second before continuing again. William carefully sat on the bed and reached out, like he was trying to pet a wild lion. He gently ran his hand through Michael's hair, careful not to wake him. After a few moments of seeing his son so peaceful and relaxed, more tears appeared in his eyes and fell down his cheeks.

G

Grell stood in the doorway, watching him. After a minute, she gathered what senses she had and went to fetch the first aid kit. Her legs literally felt like jello.

When she returned, she saw William caressing his child's head as he slept. She was so eager to know. But for the sake of little Mikey not waking up and startling, she kept still. Grell should at least help William clean up a bit before Mikey saw him and got scared and worried.

She stood patiently with the kit at the door. She took deep breaths to calm herself. ' _What in death god's name…_ '

W

William only stopped his motions when the tears got troublesome. He lifted up his glasses to wipe at his eyes, though this was a futile effort as more kept falling. He sighed, glancing at Michael again. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to his head before standing and heading towards Grell.

He walked past her back to the living room and sat down. The reaper was silent for what seemed the longest time before he looked up at her, his gaze broken.

"I'm sorry… to barge in on you like this. I just c-couldn't… I couldn't…" He lifted his hand to readjust his glasses but winced, a sharp pain stinging up his arm to his shoulder.

G

As badly as Grell wanted to know what he was going to say, it would be pointless if she couldn't understand him because he wasn't able to calm down enough to do so.

"Just relax a bit and take deep breaths," she told him, reaching for his pained arm. Her hands were shaky, tending to the wounds he had. One thing was very clear: they were attacked. And Jelena…

Grell had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. She could hope that Jelena was in the hospital. She could only hope her sister was maimed but going to be okay. Her heart began to beg and plead to whatever deity was around that Jelena was going to be okay. ' _Please Will just tell me she's okay…_ '

"Something got you… I can see that. Just… tell me Jelena is going to be okay… Tell me where she's at. Please Will… My sister is okay… isn't she?" Grell's entire body was shaking. Bad. The last of her sentence came out in a voice filled with tears and trembling. By Will's demeanor, she wasn't going to like his answer.

W

He did as he was told, taking long, deep breaths. Though his heart refused to calm itself from its unease. He doubted it ever would, with what happened that night. How could he ever get over that?

He sighed again, hearing the pleas from his redheaded coworker. She and Jelena had grown really close over time. They truly were sisters. And Grell needed to know what happened, just as Michael would know come morning. When his mother was nowhere to be found.

"Jelena… she and I went to a show tonight. It ended later than we thought it would. We were-were walking through London, talking. We were having such a great night."

More tears came to his eyes. "Then the demon appeared. I wanted to make a portal for Jelena, so she could get away while I fought the demon off, but he attacked too quickly. I could only fight it back, away from her as best I could." William cleared his still-aching throat.

"He knew he couldn't beat me. We all knew. So instead… he…" Tears fell hard as he tried to choke out the story. "I, foolishly, followed him into a dark alley, where he disappeared from my sight. Almost immediately, I… I heard Jelena scream." A scream that still echoed in his ears. "I ran back to her as fast as I could. The-the d-demon… he-he grabbed her and…" The last words were a pained whisper before he lost the battle to his saddened cries. "vanished, taking her with him."

G

Grell gave a thousand-yard stare. She was extremely mad. She wanted to beat William and call him every name. At this point, she couldn't tell who was the bigger monster: the demon who took Jelena…or the bastard husband who gave her to said demon.

Before she could say a word… she bolted for the bathroom. She had barely gotten the toilet lid up before the contents of her stomach spilled out. So many emotions ran through her that it literally turned her stomach inside out.

Her sister was gone. Flashes of their life together since they'd met flashed before her. Even the last she'd spoken to her, early yesterday afternoon. Grell immediately regretted rushing her off. She regretted all the times she'd turned Jelena down for going to get coffee just to 'waste time' catching up on her paperwork. Even regretted… being insanely mad and harboring bad feelings toward her for a little while for taking her beloved William.

That sour memory of regret forced more out of her stomach until all she was doing was dry hacking. "My sister…."

Grell sluggishly reached for the handle to flush and fell back against the wall…"My… sister…"

W

The second Grell had gone, William fell back on the couch, fires shooting through him from the cuts and bruises he had sustained. But he didn't care. He deserved that pain and whatever else came with it for his stupidity. Though none of it would compare to the ache in his heart for his beloved wife.

He would likely never see her again. And it was all his fault. If only he had stayed by her, told her to run, _something_ other than just leaving her alone and defenseless… Maybe they'd be home, forgetting the interaction like a bad dream.

Oh how he wished this was only a bad dream. Nothing more than a horrible nightmare from working too late and falling asleep at his desk again. William continued to cry, rocking back and forth until he fell onto the floor. What had he done?


End file.
